Developing Helper Robot for Senior Care through Sociological Analysis of Human Interaction

Abstract

We have developed a robot that is able to respond appropriately to user's verbal and non-verbal requests. For practical use of helper robots such as in elderly care. However, it is necessary to analyze how elderly persons in naturally occurring settings actually make requests to caretakers in order to enhance the development of user-friendly robots in elderly care. In this paper we report on our observations of interaction between elderly persons and caretaker in a senior care home. We find simultaneous actions coordinated by seniors and helpers. Our analysis shows an importance of projectability in a senior care home. Based on this analysis, we will develop a robot which can understand such projectability in the cooperative work among the senior and the helper.